In a small settlement in Matabeleland, some still speak about the horrors they faced during Gukurahundi. For most people, it is an experience that is too painful to relive. For others, words are hard to come by in a country that still hasn’t had its say.
Historical Background
The Gukurahundi was a series of mass executions and acts of genocide in Zimbabwe that occurred between 1983 and 1987, culminating in the Unity Accord. The name comes from a Shona expression meaning “the early rain that washes away the chaff before the spring rains.”
During Rhodesia’s Bush War, two opposing nationalist parties emerged to challenge the government: Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and Joshua Nkomo’s Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU). Gukurahundi was initially described as an ideological campaign, expanding the battle into large settlements and individual homesteads.
Following Mugabe’s rise to power, his regime faced threats from “dissidents,” including dissatisfied former guerrillas and ZAPU members. In October 1980, then-Prime Minister Mugabe agreed with North Korean leader Kim Il Sung to train a brigade for Zimbabwe’s army. Shortly after announcing the need for a militia to “combat malcontents,” Mugabe warned dissidents to “watch out,” naming the brigade “Gukurahundi.”
The Fifth Brigade was trained until September 1982 and began its crackdown in Matabeleland North in January 1983. This brigade searched for local ZAPU officials and veterans of the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA). Detentions and seizures by the Fifth Brigade were arbitrary, often targeting Ndebele men of fighting age, who were presumed guilty of subversion.
Atrocities and Methods
The Fifth Brigade’s actions included public executions where victims were often forced to dig their graves before being shot. Entire groups of Ndebele people were massacred indiscriminately. One of the most harrowing incidents occurred in March 1983, when 62 young men and women were executed along the banks of the Cewale River in Lupane. Only seven survived, while 55 were killed.
Another brutal method involved setting huts on fire with people trapped inside. It was documented in Tsholotsho and Lupane. The atrocities left deep scars on the region and its people, with survivors haunted by memories of the violence.
Eyewitness Testimonies –Thabani Dhlamini’s Story
Thabani Dhlamini was only ten years old during the Gukurahundi genocide. Mass graves surround his home in southwestern Zimbabwe. Near his settlement in Salankomo, Tsholotsho district, one grave near a primary school contains the bodies of teachers murdered in the 1980s.
A few steps from Mr. Dhlamini’s house lie two graves holding the bodies of 22 relatives and neighbors, all killed by the Zimbabwean military under Robert Mugabe’s orders.
“I want to free myself from what I witnessed,” Mr. Dhlamini told the BBC, tapping his chest.
In 1983, he and a group of boys watched as soldiers forced 22 women, including his mother, into a hut, which was then set on fire. When the women broke down the door to escape, the soldiers shot them. Mr. Dhlamini’s mother survived by hiding near a grain hut.
The soldiers then ordered the older boys watching nearby to carry the women’s bodies into the burning huts. Among the boys was 14-year-old Lotshe Moyo, who was also killed after soldiers noticed he wore a pin supporting Nkomo. His remains, along with others, lie in the ruins surrounded by a chain-link fence.
“When we started talking about it, my memory returns, and it feels as if it had happened today,” said Mr. Dhlamini. His mother, too traumatized, could never live in the village again.
The Path to Justice
The Gukurahundi massacres remain an open wound in Zimbabwe’s history, characterized by silence, denial, and impunity. Justice for the victims and acknowledgment of their suffering are long overdue. Addressing this dark past is essential for healing, reconciliation, and building a more inclusive future for all Zimbabweans.
S.M.
Photo: public domain